Electronic component-mounting apparatus and mounting head device therefor

Abstract

A component-mounting block of an electronic component-mounting apparatus has mounting heads installed thereon. Each mounting head has a nozzle-replacing device for replacing at least one selected sucking nozzle by at least one other sucking nozzle to be newly selected. The replacement is possible during travel of the component-mounting block between a mounting position and a sucking position effected by a X-Y moving stage. At least one mounting head carries at least one sucking nozzle rotatable about a vertical axis of a nozzle holder. The mounting head has the nozzle holder, and an engaging member holder. Sucking nozzles are circumferentially arranged about the vertical axis of the nozzle holder and vertically retractably held by the nozzle holder. The engaging member holder holds engaging members which engageably face the nozzles. The nozzles are engaged with the engaging members when the holders are relatively vertically moved toward each other, and are retracted when the holders are moved away from each other. The engagement can be prevented. A selected engaging member is prevented from engaging with a corresponding sucking nozzle by rotating the holders about the vertical axis. Alternatively, at least one nozzle is disengaged from a corresponding engaging member at a desired rotational angle of the holders.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic component-mounting apparatus for sucking electronic components at a sucking position and mounting said electronic components on a circuit board at a mounting position, the electronic component-mounting apparatus comprising: a component-feeding block for feeding a plurality of electronic components to the sucking position;   a component-mounting block for selectively sucking at least one of said electronic components at said sucking position of said component-feeding block and mounting said at least one of said electronic components having been sucked on a circuit board at the mounting position,   said component-mounting block having a plurality of mounting heads thereon, at least one of said plurality of mounting heads having a plurality of sucking nozzles for sucking a corresponding one of said electronic components from said component-feeding block and,   a nozzle-replacing device for effecting replacement of at least one selected sucking nozzle of said plurality of sucking nozzles by at least one other sucking nozzle of said plurality of sucking nozzles to be newly selected; and     a moving stage having X and Y moving stages each for moving said component-mounting block in a respective X and Y direction between the sucking position and the mounting position to mount a component on the circuit board at the mounting position and for moving the component-mounting block back to the sucking position,   wherein said nozzle-replacing device replaces said at least one selected sucking nozzle of said plurality of sucking nozzles by at least one other sucking nozzle of said plurality of sucking nozzles to be newly selected during travel of said component-mounting block between said mounting position and said sucking position.   
     
     
       2. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said nozzle-replacing device lifts upward said at least one selected sucking nozzle and projects downward said at least one other sucking nozzle to be newly selected, to thereby replace the former by the latter. 
     
     
       3. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said at least one of said plurality of mounting heads has a nozzle holder which has said plurality of sucking nozzles arranged circumferentially about a vertical axis thereof, and an electric motor for rotating said nozzle holder about said vertical axis thereof.   
     
     
       4. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said component-mounting block has elevating means for vertically moving each of said plurality of mounting heads such that said each of said mounting heads is vertically moved with reference to a level of a bottom surface of each of said respective electronic components having been sucked by said each of said mounting heads. 
     
     
       5. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said component-feeding block has means for feeding said plurality of electric components in an aligned manner at intervals of an identical distance, thereby permitting a plurality of ones of said plurality of electronic components to be selectively simultaneously sucked, and wherein said component-mounting block has said plurality of mounting heads installed thereon in parallel with said plurality of electronic components arranged in said aligned manner, in a manner such that a pitch of arrangement of said plurality of mounting heads is an integral multiple of said identical distance.   
     
     
       6. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said at least one of said plurality of mounting heads having said plurality of sucking nozzles has a nozzle holder which has said plurality of sucking nozzles arranged circumferentially about a vertical axis thereof, and an electric motor for rotating said nozzle holder about said vertical axis thereof, said sucking nozzles each rotating on a circular path of rotation having a diameter larger than said identical distance of said plurality of electronic components.   
     
     
       7. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said component-feeding block feeds a plurality of kinds of electronic components, and wherein said at least one of said plurality of mounting heads has a plurality of sucking nozzles corresponding to a plurality of selected kinds of said plurality of kinds of electronic components.   
     
     
       8. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said plurality of mounting heads having said plurality of sucking nozzles has a nozzle holder which has said plurality of sucking nozzles arranged in a manner projecting in a radial direction about a horizontal axis thereof, and a rotating means for rotating said nozzle holder about said horizontal axis thereof.   
     
     
       9. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said plurality of mounting heads has a nozzle holder which has said plurality of sucking nozzles arranged circumferentially about a horizontal axis thereof, and an electric motor for rotating said nozzle holder about said horizontal axis.   
     
     
       10. An electronic component-mounting apparatus as in claim 1 wherein a said mounting head comprises: a nozzle holder,   a plurality of sucking nozzles arranged along an identical circle about a vertical axis of said nozzle holder and held by said nozzle holder in a manner capable of projecting and retracting vertically,   an engaging member holder,   a plurality of engaging members each held by said engaging member holder in a manner engageable with said plurality of sucking nozzles, respectively, and   rotating means for rotating said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder about said vertical axis of said nozzle holder.   
     
     
       11. An electronic component-mounting apparatus as in claim 10 further comprising: elevating means for vertically moved said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder away from each other, to thereby retract ones of said sucking nozzles in engagement with corresponding ones of said engaging members into said nozzle holder, and   disengaging means for disengaging at least one of said plurality of sucking nozzles and a corresponding one of said engaging members from each other at an arbitrary desired rotational angle position of said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder.   
     
     
       12. An electronic component-mounting apparatus for sucking electronic and mounting said electronic components on a circuit board, the electronic component-mounting apparatus comprising: a component-feeding block for feeding a plurality of electronic components to a sucking position;   component-mounting block for selectively sucking at least one of said electronic components at said sucking position of said component-feeding block, and mounting said at least one of said electronic components having been sucked on a circuit board at a mounting position,   said component-mounting block each having a plurality of mounting heads installed thereon,   at least one of said plurality of mounting heads having at least one sucking nozzle mounted thereon in a manner rotatable about a vertical axis of said at least one mounting head;   a moving stage having X and Y moving stages each for moving said component-mounting block in a respective X and Y direction between said sucking position and said mounting position and back to said sucking position; and   said component-mounting block includes a nozzle replacing device for replacement of the sucking nozzle with another nozzle as said component-mounting block is moved from said mounting position back to said sucking position.   
     
     
       13. An electronic component-mounting apparatus for sucking electronic components and mounting said electronic components on a circuit board, the electronic component-mounting apparatus comprising: a component-feeding block for feeding at least one electronic component to a sucking position; and   a mounting head for selectively sucking at least one of said at least one electronic component at said sucking position of said component-feeding block and then moving on a horizontal plane to mount said at least one electronic component having been sucked, on a circuit board at a mounting position,   said mounting head having: a nozzle holder,   a plurality of sucking nozzles arranged along an identical circle about a vertical axis of said nozzle holder and held by said nozzle holder in a manner capable of projecting and retracting vertically,   an engaging member holder,   a plurality of engaging members each held by said engaging member holder in a manner engageable with said plurality of sucking nozzles, respectively,   rotating means for rotating said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder about said vertical axis of said nozzle holder,   elevating means for vertically moved said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder away from each other, to thereby retract ones of said sucking nozzles in engagement with corresponding ones of said engaging members into said nozzle holder, and   disengaging means for disengaging at least one of said plurality of sucking nozzles and a corresponding one of said engaging members from each other at an arbitrary desired rotational angle position of said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder.     
     
     
       14. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said disengaging means is capable of simultaneously disengaging at least two of said plurality of sucking nozzles from corresponding ones of said engaging members. 
     
     
       15. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of sucking nozzles comprise four sucking nozzles arranged circumferentially at intervals of an identical distance. 
     
     
       16. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of engaging members is held by said engaging member holder in a manner pivotally movable about a horizontal pivot thereof and urged in an engaging direction for engagement with a corresponding one of said sucking nozzles, said each of said engaging members having at least part of an outer surface thereof formed by a magnetic substance, said disengaging means having a plurality of electromagnets arranged circumferentially in a manner opposed to said magnetic substance of said each of said engaging members, for pivotally moving a selected one of said engaging members in a direction opposite to said engaging direction when one of said electromagnets corresponding to said selected one of said engaging members is excited, to thereby attract said selected one of said engaging members by way of said magnetic substance thereof, and electromagnet control means for controlling magnetization/demagnetization of said plurality of electromagnets independently of each other.   
     
     
       17. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said plurality of electromagnets are formed by electromagnets larger in number than a number of said plurality of sucking nozzles. 
     
     
       18. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of said plurality of engaging members is held by said engaging member holder in a manner pivotally movable about a horizontal pivot thereof and urged in an engaging direction for engagement with a corresponding one of said sucking nozzles, said engaging members having a plurality of rotatable rollers, respectively, said disengaging means having a cam which is rotatable about said vertical axis of said nozzle holder in sliding contact with said plurality of rollers, said cam being formed with a plurality of protruding portions on a sliding surface thereof in sliding contact with said rollers, for pivotally moving selected one of said engaging members in a direction opposite to said engaging direction when one of said rotatable rollers of said selected one of said engaging members is brought into contact with one of said protruding portions of said cam, and   cam-driving means for moving said cam to a desired rotational angle position.   
     
     
       19. An electronic component-mounting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said plurality of sucking nozzles are formed by four sucking nozzles arranged circumferentially at intervals of an identical distance, and wherein said plurality of protruding portions of said cam are formed by two protruding portions formed at diametrically opposite locations thereof and one other protruding portion formed at a location other than locations circumferentially spaced from said two protruding portions by an angle of 90 degrees. 
     
     
       20. An electronic component-mounting apparatus for sucking electronic components and mounting said electronic components on a circuit board, the electronic component-mounting apparatus comprising: a component-feeding block for feeding a plurality of electronic components to a sucking position;   a component-mounting block for selectively sucking at least one of said electronic components at said sucking position of said component-feeding block, and mounting said at least one of said electronic components having been sucked, on a circuit board at a mounting position, said component-mounting block having a plurality of mounting heads installed thereon; and   an X-Y moving stage for moving said component-mounting block between said sucking position and said mounting position,   each of said mounting heads having: a nozzle holder,   a plurality of sucking nozzles arranged along an identical circle about a vertical axis of said nozzle holder and held by said nozzle holder in a manner capable of projecting and retracting vertically,     an engaging member holder,   a plurality of engaging members each held by said engaging member holder in a manner engageable with said plurality of sucking nozzles, respectively,   rotating means for rotating said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder about said vertical axis of said nozzle holder,   elevating means for vertically moved said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder away from each other, to thereby retract ones of said sucking nozzles in engagement with corresponding ones of said engaging members into said nozzle holder, and   disengaging means for disengaging at least one of said plurality of sucking nozzles and a corresponding one of said engaging members from each other at an arbitrary desired rotational angle position of said nozzle holder and said engaging member holder.